Japan Intercultural Institute

Are you a believer? 84% of the world's population identifies with religion, yet intercultural education barely mentions the topic. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Joseph Shaules and Ishita Ray explore the connection between culture and religion. We learn how culture shapes attitudes towards secular and religious values from: Sanne Bosma, Emre Seven, Torhild Liane Harr Skarnes, Luan Borges de Carvalho, and P. V Satyanarayana Raju. Religious studies scholar David Shaules argues that religion and culture are closely related, and that secular values do not magically make us neutral. In Part 2, we will hear the experiences of those navigating in and between religious and secular worldviews.

Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol explore why it can be so hard to talk about culture and measure cultural difference. They discuss three ways of looking at culture . . . as being, doing, and seeing. They discuss “classic” research into cultural difference (e.g. Hofstede) and argue that brain-mind sciences are shedding new light on cultural difference and can help us make better sense of our intercultural experiences. 

People often want to learn cultural Dos and Don'ts when going abroad—such as: “In Japan, present your business card with both hands.” But rules like this often don't get you very far. Culture is much more complex than any set of etiquette rules. How should we respond to such requests? Why are simplistic questions or stereotypical statements about culture so common? In this episode, Yvonne van der Pol and Joseph Shaules explore this Dos and Don'ts dilemma from the brain-mind perspective. We ask: What's the difference between surface and deep levels of cultural understanding? How can we go beyond Dos and Don'ts?

Why are some things—such as the Dutch word gezelligheid—so hard to translate? Will technology make language learning obsolete? Does speaking a foreign language change how you look at the world? In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol explore such questions from the brain and mind science perspective. They talk about linguaculture—language and culture as two parts of a larger, complex, dynamic whole. They discuss embodied simulation theory, which proposes that language use involves an embodied process of mental simulation; it’s much more than a manipulation of mental symbols. All this helps us understand why language learning helps us enter into other cultural worlds, and remains important for intercultural bridge people everywhere.

In this episode, Joseph Shaules and Yvonne van der Pol talk about cognitive biases – the “natural” mental shortcuts that make us jump to conclusions, misjudge, favor the familiar, be ethnocentric, and more. Cultural bridge people need to understand cognitive biases because they are so often triggered in intercultural situations. You will hear a story about a bicycle from Yvonne, and we even discuss the bhavacakra—The Buddhist Wheel of Life. It reminds us that waking up to the biases within us is an important step towards deeper intercultural understanding.

In this episode, we explore empathy – the ability to look at things from another person’s perspective. We discuss the importance of empathy for cultural bridge people, and why it can be difficult in intercultural situations! Yvonne talks about empathy in her hometown and Joseph tells a story of failed empathy on a freezing street corner in Tokyo. We also look at what science can teach us about empathy—it involves many cognitive systems and is linked with motivation! We are thankful for the work of Jamil Zaki, whose insights helped inspire this episode.

Joseph and Yvonne discuss the “Oz Moment”—the experience of wonder and surprise that comes from first experiencing the sights, sounds and sensations in a foreign place. This episode explores the mental processes that lead to Oz Moment experiences. We hear from Ayako, who had a life-changing experience when she stepped into the restroom at LAX. Oz moments teach us a lot about how our mind works when we have intercultural experiences.

This episode features a conversation with Karen Hill Anton. For many years Karen wrote the greatly-loved Crossing Cultures column for the Japan Times. Karen arrived in Japan in 1975. Unlike many expatriates, however, she didn’t leading a cosmopolitan lifestyle in Tokyo. She and her husband Bill settled in a rustic farmhouse on the side of a mountain deep in Shizuoka prefecture, where they raised their family and integrated into the local community. Karen is a writer, dancer, artist and intercultural trainer and consultant. We discuss her new memoir—the View from Breast Pocket Mountain—and reflect on the challenges and rewards of intercultural living.